It is also important to note that there are factors aside from diet that influence our B12 levels, and this is where many problems with deficiency arise. It is high time we start looking at nutritional factors like B12 when it comes to mental health care. Objectives: We hypothesized that high vitamin B12 would be frequent in patients with ND and that their mean vitamin B12 levels would be equal as in healthy controls (HC). B12 production requires Cobalt (thus the "cobal" in its scientific name Cyanocobalamin)(2) so the presence of B12 producing microogranisms in the intestines may be linked to adequate cobalt in the diet. In Norway, available vitamin B12 supplements also contain folic acid, and thus we controlled for levels of folic acid as a proxy for supplement intake. Together, B12 and SAMe (along with other helper vitamins like B6 and folate) regulate the synthesis and breakdown of several important mood-controlling chemicals such as serotonin, melatonin and dopamine. As levels of neurotransmitters plummet, symptoms of mental health disorders, like depression, can arise.
In order to sustain sufficient reaction rates during metabolic stress, this reaction requires adequate levels of vitamin B12 and folate. Vitamin B12 does a lot of things for your body. However, when there is a lack of vitamin B12 in the tissues, as seen with dietary vitamin B12 deficiency and other conditions, the myelin coating on cranial, spinal and peripheral nerves is compromised. Research reports of the Harvard postdoctoral fellows involved in the vitamin B12 synthesis are in the Harvard archives; see "Collection: Papers of Robert Burns Woodward, 1873-1980, 1930-1979 | HOLLIS for Archival Discovery". Antacids in particular are known to diminish B12, because hydrochloric acid is necessary for cleaving B12 from foods so that it can be absorbed by the intestines. Normally, vitamin B12 helps to build and maintain these myelin sheaths, keeping conversations between cells going and the nervous system running strong. Generally, vitamin B12 is best assimilated when taken as part of a full spectrum B-Complex that contains all of the other vitamins in the B group (such as B1, thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, folate etc.). For example, certain medications prevent the full absorption of B12 from the gastrointestinal tract.
Certain microorganisms found in soil and the intestinal tract of animals produce B12. Vitamin B12 supplements can be found in many forms. In How Vitamin B2 Works, read about how B2, or riboflavin, works in concert with its B-complex relatives to metabolize carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Many people following a standard, varied diet will reach this amount, however those who avoid or limit proteins for any reason may experience difficulty in getting their RDA. Another group of researchers looked at the B12 levels in almost three hundred elderly people with depressive symptoms, and compared them to those of people who were not depressed. As you may have guessed by now, vitamin B12 deficiency is a serious problem when it comes to mental health. Yes, it does state that "Vitamin C, for one, breaks down easily in foods" in "some astronaut food staples". Swedish researchers followed a group of asthma sufferers who were dissatisfied with the success of conventional therapies and wanted to try a vegan diet of mainly raw foods. All foods contain this vitamin in some amount. Usually, vitamin B12 deficiency is suspected when routine blood tests detect large red blood cells. Assessing for and treating B12 deficiency can be a very important piece of the recovery process in affected individuals, and a treatment that can be done relatively simply at that.
We know that having ample amounts of B12 in the body is an essential piece for maintaining a healthy brain and stable mood. This is very important as we know that our ability to absorb B12 decreases as we age, in turn increasing rates of B12 deficiency. Combine advancing age with certain prescription medications (i.e. for heartburn) and a lack of meat in your diet (especially true for vegetarians or vegans) and you could find yourself sorely lacking vitamin B12. If you wanted to find the best deals on vitamin K supplements, click here. Vitamin C is very much storable in the long term. Observational studies have found that as many as 30% of patients that are hospitalized for depression are deficient in vitamin B12.(1) Many practitioners assume that this number is actually much higher, seeing as B12 testing is not yet a standard procedure when it comes to treating psychiatric patients. This artic le w as writt en by G SA Con tent Generator Demov ersion!